You may or may not have heard of alt-rock band Panic! at the Disco, but a year and a half ago they released a single called "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", which had an accompanying music video that was Steampunk-themed. In fact, here's the video: Video: . Well, I'm going to give y ...more
WonderHowTo World LEGO People points us to an amazing chess set made with LEGO Star Wars characters. LEGO fanatic Brandon Griffith of Hollywood, CA, plans to build three different chess sets, one per each original episode. Pictured below is his first completed set, Star Wars: ...more
Want to learn how to do the jive? Jive dance steps consist of triple steps and rock back steps while always keeping your body weight on the balls of your feet. Practice your jive dance steps with guidance from a pro: Nene Ortega is a ballroom dance instructor at The Goddess St ...more
The days of bad smartphone videos are long gone. Your iPhone or Android phone is a capable video recorder, even offering different frame rate options in the native camera settings. Filmic Pro makes things a little simpler, however, and adds additional controls you wouldn't fin ...more
Get your quick step on with help from this free dance lesson! The classic quick step dance is a fun, yet fast ballroom dancing technique that incorporates very quick steps with alternating slower steps. Get a glimpse of what it's supposed to look like plus some helpful pointer ...more
With the list of available mobile apps for moviegoers constantly expanding and improving, seeing a film at your local theater has never been better. With the right apps for your iPhone or Android phone, you can research movies, find out if showings are sold out, reserve seats, ...more
This morning, I received a message from a friend who was reading a hack log, and she had some questions about the commands used. This got me thinking, as Linux has a ton of commands and some can be archaic, yet useful. We are going to go over everything you need to know to rea ...more
CGI and live action shots get together in almost every big-budget Hollywood movie these days, but combining them in one shot can be challenging for the uninitiated. This video will teach you all about using CGI in live action films, including the use of 3D Studio Max, Blender, ...more
The cumbia is a hot Latin dance from Columbia and ready for you to learn! Practice the steps using three counts per measure of music with help from this free lesson taught by an expert: Rosario Nene Ortega is a ballroom dance instructor at The Goddess Store in Hollywood, Flori ...more
Twilight, that steamy, dreamy love story between teen Bella and heartthrob vampire, Edward Cullen. This love story is based on a series of vampire novels (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) by Stephenie Meyer. True love, handsome boy, and vampire danger = perfect ...more
Back in the '20s and '30s when all Hollywood cinema - and photographs - were in black and white, actresses had to pile on the makeup. Specifically, heavy contouring of the eyes and cheekbones was important in order for those features to pop out in an otherwise flat photograph, ...more
Finding love is tough. Movies like The Notebook and Twilight have ruined the expectations of love and relationships for us guys. Some women's ideal love situation is being kissed by a glittery sparkling vampire. "I know we only met a few seconds ago, but I'm deeply in love wi ...more
When the titular hero of your superhero movie activates his powers with a catchphrase, it would be pretty neat if your augmented reality promotion for that film could react to the user's voice. Luckily for Warner Bros., Snapchat happens to have relatively new voice recognitio ...more
A while back, I wrote review of my favorite hacking movies of all time. Two of my key criteria were; (1) how realistic was the hacking, and (2) are the hackers portrayed as the "good guys." This past winter, a new hacker movie was released, appropriately named Blackhat starrin ...more
Just months after we previewed the augmented reality, volumetric video conferencing powers of Mimesys, the company has undergone a major change — it's now a part of Magic Leap. On Thursday, Magic Leap announced the acquisition of the Belgium-based startup that allows Magic Le ...more
Do the two-step! This technique requires a pattern of slow, slow, quick, quick, then repeat. Start dancing your way to two-step perfection with the help of an expert: Nene Ortega is a ballroom dance instructor at The Goddess Store in Hollywood, Florida. Learn more ballet from ...more
Lebron James, or King James to his royal subjects, is extending the reach of his kingdom beyond basketball and into the realm of augmented reality. The NBA superstar, in his role as pitchman for Nike, is the centerpiece for a new in-store Snapchat AR advertisement at the Hous ...more
Lisa Eldridge is one of the most preeminent makeup artists in the fashion editorial space today, working with nearly every A-list female in Hollywood. Her blog is full of interesting tutorials and articles, and Eldridge recently posted a fascinating interview with Madeleine Ma ...more
It turns out that the government of Saudi Arabia has managed to do something last month's Game Developers Conference couldn't — give us a few new glimpses of the Magic Leap One being worn by someone other than Shaq. Last month, Magic Leap used GDC to launch its SDK, hold a nu ...more
One of the biggest bummers about Netflix is the inability to create different lists for your favorite movies and TV shows. Instead, you're only able to lump titles into the single default "My List," and that can be impossible to browse. It doesn't separate titles into categori ...more
The year 2020 was a pivotal span of time during which the word "virtual" took on a brand new meaning. Instead of referring to VR or augmented reality, the term was hijacked to describe meeting across long distances through a variety of software tools, most often through video. ...more
Veronica Lake was an iconic film star, her most recognizable feature was the peek-a-boo hair styles. In this instructional how to video we show you how to recreate that classic old Hollywood hair with modern tools. Use a curling iron to get beautiful soft waves reminiscent of ...more
Zombies. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I see footage of a once heavily populated area turned completely desolate. Either that or you stumbled across a Ke$ha concert...BURN. Popular television shows like "The Walking Dead" and big-budget movies like 28 Days La ...more
As the demand for realistic volumetric video for AR experiences begins to grow (along with the available facilities and services for capturing it), researchers at Google have figured out how to improve upon the format. The team has devised a system, called "The Relightables," ...more
Break out the conga dance at your next party or special occasion with help from this free lesson. The conga dance is a celebratory dance that many do in a line involving three steps and a tap to the side. Get tips and tricks on how to stay away from having two left feet with a ...more
It's been a long journey for Netflix users. At first, it was a rough ride as Netflix struggled to find its place in the homes and hearts of movie watchers everywhere. Once monthly subscriptions bumped off the pay-per-rental charges, Netflix soared to great heights, known for t ...more
As worn by "The Merovingian", the villain in the Matrix Reloaded & Matrix Revolutions Hollywood movie. Video: .
Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" series, is actually a lot like the character she embodies. Both are quite intelligent (Watson just finished her freshman year at Brown), strong, and independent, and both rely on minimal makeup to enhance their feat ...more
Learn all about the recent Hollywood pregnancy trend of belly casting. The Pregnancy Show gives you an exclusive look at how to make your own belly cast.
This may feel like a Nike ad (and I suppose technically it is an ad), but it's also a based-on-a-true-story-hollywood-motion-picture waiting to happen... This inspiring short film is part of an ad campaign series called Make THE Difference for the TMB Bank, but it's also a tru ...more
This instructional cosmetics video demonstrates how to create an Avril Lavigne inspired look. After apply basic eyeliner, use pink and red eyeshadows to create a bold, teenybopper look. Don't forget some pink lips to top the look off. Products used in this video are Chi Chi Ey ...more
George Yoshitake is one of the remaining living cameramen to have photographed the nuclear bomb. His documentation of the military detonation of hundreds of atom bombs from 1956 to 1962 reveals the truly chilling effect of the weapon. Below, images and explanatory captions via ...more
With their first attempt at the mobile market, Razer introduced a device that looks at the smartphone differently. Instead of focusing on minimal bezels or an amazing camera, Razer decided to make a phone for gamers. So how could Razer target the growing mobile gaming market, ...more
Captain Disillusion takes a poke at an old Hollywood urban legend on the YouTube videos using dated camera tricks.
Surely you're aware of the Sony hacking scandal by now (here's a quick primer if you're not), as well as the multi-billion dollar company initially bowing to threats by canceling the Christmas release of the The Interview, the film at the center of the whole debacle. Video: . ...more
How is it possible that Iron Man is not yet a reality? DVICE reports that super-powered exoskeletons are indeed within our grasp (if not quite as flashy as Hollywood SFX just yet). Real life exoskeletons fall into the realm of not-too-distant futuristic warfare. Below, five e ...more
Imagine your own time-lapsed footage in a 360 degree pan. You don't need an expensive Hollywood-style pan mount to get this effect. You can easily do this rotating pan mount on the cheap, with something you would never suspect— a kitchen timer. This DIY kitchen timer hack wil ...more
It's time to bring hot rollers back. If you want those sexy, soft curls and are sick of using your brush and hair dryer, try curling your hair with hot rollers. Andi Scarbrough of Byu-ti Salon shows Katherine Kendall a quick and easy way to curl your hair with many cool tips t ...more
Writing a script is easy, but writing a script that the Hollywood elite would actually like to pick up is a totally different story. Any aspiring screenwriter will find this information about action in scripts helpful. Let screenwriter John August teach you how to write bette ...more
Ever wanted to communicate with another driver on the road, but just didn't know how? Sure, you could flag them down by waving or honking at them, but that assumes that they're in close proximity, that you have a unobscured path, and that they're paying attention. And if you'r ...more
Mark Burnett is, financially speaking, perhaps the most successful television producer today. While I had launched America's Most Wanted and COPS a decade earlier, Mark exploded onto network television with Survivor, the glossy and fantastical innovation to reality television. ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a black and white Hollywood style glamour portrait, using Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program. Viewers learn how to create a vintage, golden age Hollywood headshot look, with just a couple layers. Thi ...more
In 1988, John Langley created COPS for the fledgling FOX network. 23 years later, the show is still running. It is the Energizer bunny of prime time television. Since John has followed more police officers and witnessed more crime than any human being on earth (absolutely no q ...more
If you want your photos to look like they came straight out of a movie scene, the best method is to use split toning. Many Hollywood producers use this effect to recreate the cinematic look of cameras before the digital film era, which is why most people associate split toning ...more
It's like the H-bomb. In slo-mo, it's stunning. In real life, it's terrifying. The footage below was uploaded by YouTube user NielsBorg, unfortunately lacking in description, but offers the following information via headline: "T90 shot taken by Photron camera at 18000 fps". Th ...more
With the brand new SMS-based ordering service called Magic, anyone with a mobile phone can order whatever they want—really, anything—by sending causal text messages. Who says magic isn't real? WIRED shelled out $500 to one of their writers, Brent Rose, to spend on Magic. In t ...more
Bandanas are usually worn in a variety of different ways and can help ensure that long hair is kept back and away from the face. They usually are folded in half in order to make a triangle before they are tied. In this tutorial, find out how to fold a bandana from a profession ...more
Sony Pictures has tapped the powers of augmented reality as provided by startup 8th Wall & the Amazon Sumerian development platform to help it promote the latest motion picture manifestation of Spider-Man. On Monday, the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse mobile web AR experie ...more
Bohemian headbands are everywhere in Hollywood. Fashion designer and waif Nicole Richie is frequently spotted wearing them around town as well as on the red carpet (showing just how versatile they are), and Mischa Barton doesn't leave the house without one. But don't waste yo ...more
This software tutorial shows you how to use the Trapcode Starglow plugin for After Effects. Add Hollywood glamour to text or shapes with the fast-rendering Starglow plug-in. With multiple colors and point and shimmer controls, the star power is all at your fingertips. If you h ...more
Yesterday we showed you 10 different ways to make the most of your iPhone's front facing camera, but today's app takes shooting video with your iPhone to a professional level. Highly recommended by our resident filmmaker, Mike Goedecke (see his RED ONE camera tutorials here), ...more
We've been so worried about volumetric scans possibly robbing celebrities and performers of their agency and right to control their image that, somewhere along the way, we forgot that scans may not always be necessary to produce passable holographic performances. That's the d ...more
Look Around in Apple Maps gives you a high-resolution 3D view of roads, buildings, and other imagery in an interactive 360-degree layout. We haven't had anything like this in Apple Maps since iOS 5 when Google's Street View was incorporated. Now, in iOS 13, seven years later, ...more
Hollywood loves sequels so much that studios and their marketing teams are not too proud to release a sequel of an augmented reality promotion. After webbing up a web-based augmented reality experience to promote the theatrical release of Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, So ...more
Bobs, both long (affectionately termed blobs) and short, are the hottest hair trend in Hollywood right now. A-listers like Eva Longoria and Victoria Beckham, who love the liberated, "modern girl" effect a bob tends to give off, have made the haircut high in demand at major sal ...more
When viewing Toronto based artist Evan Penny's work, Ron Mueck immediately comes to mind. The clear similarities include a representation which is completely photo-realistic, a playfulness with scale, and the mutually shared background in Hollywood SFX. However, what sets Pe ...more
Just weeks after being acquired by comedian turned producer Byron Allen for $300 million, The Weather Channel has tapped augmented reality studio The Future Group to integrate immersive augmented reality experiences into its broadcast content. Augmented reality made its live ...more
This how-to is aimed at the uncynical, bright-eyed outsider who wants to become a television producer…the talented person who believes he or she has the ‘it’ to crack Hollywood. The ‘Sammy’ who just arrived in 90210. Hollywood is a land of dreams and riches. It is true that n ...more
3-D is the next big thing for Hollywood, but 3-D glasses can sometimes be expensive. You can take a pair of sunglasses and turn them into your own 3-D glasses wtih just some packaging plastic, permanent markers, scissors and super glue.
Looking back on Alan Wake, more than a year and a half after its release, it's still one of my favorite games. The graphics and ambience have held up well in comparison to any other story driven game, and it's still the best third-person horror game out there, in terms of game ...more